MITACS Globalink Research Internship scheme

Students who successfully apply for the scheme will have the chance to:

• participate in an internationally competitive and fully funded mobility opportunity in Canada
• develop research expertise with the assistance of leading professors at Canadian institutions with outstanding research facilities
• enhance vital workplace skills, including critical thinking, cultural awareness, and developing a global outlook
• take part in professional training covering areas such as teamwork, project management, problem solving, communication, and entrepreneurship
• experience educational, social, and recreational opportunities
• join an international alumni community and become eligible for the Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship

 95% of interns spoke positively about their experience in Canada.

*Applications have closed for Summer 2023. Information for Summer 2024 placements will be published in June/July 2023*

Please see the MITACS Globalink webpage and Universities UK webpage and for further details on the MITACs scheme.

Summer 2023 Applicants must:

• be enrolled full-time in the University of Exeter
• have one year remaining in their undergraduate program when they return to the UK OR two years remaining in an integrated master degree when they return to the UK.
• be at least 18 years of age
• Graduating between July 2024 and July 2025
• have a minimum weighted average of 60% (for students meeting Exeter's widening participation criteria), or 65% (for students not meeting Exeter's widening participation criteria) equivalent to a 2:1*
• be able to spend 12 weeks during the period May – October 2023 at a university in Canada on a research project related to their area of interest and expertise
• demonstrate oral and written fluency in English or French, depending on the primary language of the project
• apply to a minimum of three to seven projects and ensure selections are from at least three different Canadian provinces

*PLEASE NOTE that the criteria, nomination and application deadlines are set by MITACS.  If you are unsure whether you meet Exeter's widening participation criteria, please contact the Outbound Team. The University of Exeter will determine students' minimum weighted average directly from the Student Record System.  If you are a student who has referred/deferred examinations and you may not meet this academic criteria by the deadline, you must contact the Outbound Team by Monday 25 July.

Programme exclusions:

• Students on Nursing programmes are not eligible for this programme.

Velizar Kirkow, MMATH Mathematics

“I started my internship on 24^th May, and it has been fantastic so far despite the internship taking place remotely. I have received a lot of support from the staff and students at the university of Alberta and I can tell they are expecting great things from me. For the first few weeks it was a steep learning curve getting to grips with the jargon and the ins and outs of the field but recently I have come into my own with mathematical modelling and I'm feeling comfortable working to deadlines set. 

My only qualm is the student engagement in the sense that we have had little to no opportunities to socialise as interns which is a natural by-product of remote working which is no fault of the program itself. Nevertheless, it is shaping up to be a fantastic experience and I m so grateful to Exeter supporting me in application process!”

Becca Leeland, BA History

“I've had a very good experience with the scheme so far; when I was applying it was all very easy to understand the process, and I was so surprised at the range of research projects that were available, I was spoilt for choice when it came to finalising my decisions.

Exeter was very helpful as well both with providing advice for my CV and promising additional funding.

Obviously the fact that the internships have all been moved online is a massive disappointment, but they are really trying to make up for that as much as they can with online activities, networking opportunities, giving extra funding for ticketed seminars etc.

My personal host professor has been brilliant also, incredibly informative and supportive from the start.”

Summer 2023 placements

The programme costs a total of $12000 CAD (approx £7,020 GBP) per student placement. The scheme, however, operates on a subsidised/matched basis.

MITACS will cover two-thirds of this programme cost ($8,000 CAD), and the University of Exeter will pay the remaining programme fee of c$4,000 CAD to the organisers directly.

Please note that MITACS will reimburse costs to the student once on placement. 

Student co-funding will cover:

• Return flights (via reimbursement)
• Airport transfer
• Medical insurance
• Visa fees (via reimbursement)
• Living stipend
• Accommodation stipend
• Registration for professional development training
• Registration for industry events
• Student fees at host institution
• Access to the Mitacs mentor scheme

Please note that under Mitacs’s funding policy, Mitacs is unable to provide the student with any funds in advance of their internship start date and arrival in Canada - some of these fees will be incurred by selected students upfront. In order to receive funding, all interns must possess a valid immigration permit for the duration of their internship. Interns will be responsible for opening a Canadian bank account, following Mitacs’s instructions, in order to receive funds once in Canada.

Students who may not be able to pay these costs up front may be able to request support via the Hardship Fund.

*The 2023 application is closed. Application details for a placement in Summer 2024 will be published in Summer 2023*

MITACS is an extremely competitive programme. For a general summary of the application process, please see the MITACS Globalink Research Internship webpage.